Photo of the week No.16: Overlooking Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, 1956 by David Boyer

There’s something ethereal about this photo – Overlooking Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, 1956 by David Boyer. I think it’s the, almost, lack of people that makes it so. Tantalising glimpses of people can be seen, in the hands of the car driver in the bottom right, and the head of the driver of the car in the centre. While people are mostly absent, it’s all about people, their cars, neat and tidy homes, and of course their location overlooking Golden Gate Bridge.

Surely the photograph was staged, otherwise what incredible luck to have the three vehicles in their positions. So, assuming it was staged, what was the objective? Was it to market the cars, or the houses? There’s so much to see in this photo, the bridge, the warship, the fire hydrant. Whatever, I’ve not been able to find out anything about this photo.

This photo means a bit more to me than other viewers. A close friend of my parents worked for an American company who often travelled to the States. For my brother and I he brought back postcards of American cars of the 1950’s. As young children we admired the bright two-tone colours of a Studebaker, or Chevrolet Bel Air. Wish I’d kept them. Ah, well, that’s the story of all our lives I guess. [Click on image to enlarge].